Wind River Pottery Artist Bios: A - H

Frederica Antonio

Frederica Antonio was born in 1968 on the Acoma Pueblo. Frederica developed an interest in pottery-making while observing her mother-in-law Mildred hand-coil and paint pottery. Frederica was inspired to continue the long-lived family tradition, and her mother-in-law started teaching her the fundamentals at age 18.

Frederica specializes in contemporary hand coiled pottery with hand painted, intricate designs. She fashions a brush from the stems of a yucca plant to paint her eye-catching designs. She often paints a band on the side of her pottery with kokopelli (god of fertility).

She also uses different colors of paint to create a unique, 3-D effect. She hand coils a variety of sizes and styles, and each one of her pots is a one of a kind work of art - no two pieces are alike. She signs her masterpieces as: F.V. Antonio, Acoma, N.M.

Melissa Antonio

Melissa Antonio hails from the Acoma Pueblo, where she was born in 1965. She sparked an interest in becoming an artisan by observing her mother, Lillie Concho, starting at age 12. Lillie taught Melissa the process of gathering clay, preparing the clay, and making natural colors from other natural pigments which were gathered from within the Acoma Pueblo.

By the age of 23, Melissa's skills had improved vastly and her art reflected her experience as a fine artisan. Melissa specializes in hand-coiling the traditional black-on-white eye dazzler patterns. Her pottery is all constructed by methods used by her ancestors. Occasionally, Melissa accents her pottery with kokopelli designs on the sides. She signs her pottery as: M.C. Antonio, Acoma.

Martha Appleleaf

Born into San Ildefonso Pueblo in November, 1950, Martha Appleleaf is the daughter of Carmelita Dunlap (a niece of Maria Martinez) and sister of Carlos Sunrise Dunlap. Martha learned the art of making pottery from her mother, a woman who won an unprecedented 20 1st Place ribbons at the Santa Fe Indian Market.

Carmelita's mother died when Carmelita was very young and she was raised by her aunts Desideria Montoya and Maria Martinez, who are award-winning potters and internationally known. They immersed her in the world of pottery making, teaching her everything they knew. Carmelita was considered Maria's last direct protege until she died in 2000.

Martha grew up making pottery with her mother and her siblings. She still makes pottery with her siblings and has also passed the art on to her son, Erik Fender, who is also an accomplished potter. She often experimented with different clays and techniques and invented a green slip on red clay palette. Her son transferred that discovery onto black matte ware. “She discovered that by accident,” Fender said. “She said, ‘I ruined my pots; I don’t know what happened, they were intended to be the buff-on-red style.’” The welcomed new look became her signature style, as well as her son’s. “We’ve been doing that so long that now it’s considered traditional,” Fender said.

Martha has been an active potter since 1970. She continues to do both black on black and classic red pottery as well as polychrome and a couple more modern styles. She has earned 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place ribbons at Santa Fe Indian Market and Eight Northern Pueblos Indian Arts and Crafts Show.

Mary Cain 

Mary Cain (Blue Rain) (1915-2015),  was a daughter of well known potter Christina Naranjo, and grand-daughter of SaraFina Tafoya, who taught her the ways of pottery. Mary was an innovator and pottery matriarch in her own right, as she began a family of renown Santa Clara potters, including daughters, Tina Diaz, Joy Cain, Linda Cain, sons Billy Cain, and Doug Cain, and granddaughters Tammy Garcia and Autumn Borts-Medlock.

Mary was known for her deeply carved pottery surfaces with a high polish finish on the pottery. Mary used the Santa Clara Pueblo traditional methods of hand coil construction of the pot, and shaping and sanding to smooth form on the pot, then applying a fine slip coat and polishing with a stone to a high sheen. She fired traditionally in an open fire for red pottery, and manure application to apply the smoke for a black finish. She won numerous awards throughout the years and her pottery items continue to remain much sought after by collectors around the world. 

Brenda Cerno

Hailing from the Acoma pueblo, Brenda took an interest in traditional Acoma pottery at age 15. With great patience, Brenda's grandmother started teaching her granddaughter this family craft. Her grandmother taught her to pray before working on each piece, and to be truthful, faithful, and happy while working on her pottery.

Brenda often works with polychrome jars, vases and bowls, both traditional and slip-cast in origin. Her work often features numerous animal images such as lizards, beetles and butterflies along with rich, precise traditional pueblo graphics. Her colors and white backdrop are always solid. Her work is always unique and high-quality. 

Monica Chino

Monica Chino was born in 1970 in Acoma, New Mexico. Her mother, Emmalita Chino, taught Margaret the art of pottery. She shared special techniques which Emmalita learned on her own by trial and error. Monica seriously began making pottery at the age of 20.

Monica specializes in handmade traditional pottery. She hand paints, without stencils or other means, intricate fine line patterns, some of which are borrowed from her mother. Continuing the family tradition of pottery-making is very important to her and it’s people like her that ensure its survival. Monica is related to: Marie Torivio (aunt), Loretta Garcia (aunt), and Rose Chino (aunt). Monica signs her pottery: M.C.

Debbie Clashin

Born in 1969 in the Hopi-Tewa tobacco clan, Debbie is the daughter of Lorena Clashin and Morris Clashin, Sr. Debbie grew up around pottery her whole life, but got invested in 2010 under her main teacher, Dianna Tahbo.  She then entered a piki bowl that won 1st Place ribbon for Utilitarian Pottery at the Santa Fe Indian Market in 2015. 

Debbie specializes in large jar bowls with small openings, and flattened seed pots. Her favorite designs to paint are stylized interpretations of ancient Hopi designs, especially bird elements. Debby is a traditionalist and continues the tradition of hand coiling with native clays and slips and firing outside. 

Chery Crespin

Chery Crespin is an accomplished artist from the Santo Domingo tribe. Chery was born in 1969 and was taught in her trade by her mother. She specializes in mosaic pottery that is inlaid using turquoise and various stones. She is known for creating intricate inlaid  small bowls, vases and wedding pots. 

Chery is one of the few artists today that has mastered both pottery making and intricate inlay work and her art is collected both nationally and internationally.

Tony Dallas

Tony Dallas born 1956 into the Hopi Pueblo, creates contemporary unique koshare and mudhead story tellers from clay. From a young age (16), Tony was interested in pottery, and began seriously crafting in clay in 1982 while observing his mother-in-law Lucy R. Suina, after he married into the Cochiti Pueblo in the early 1980’s. 

Tony’s style combines the ancient traditional ways of making pottery and sculpture with a unique contemporary style.  “I started to hand coil a regular storyteller. Then, I thought for a moment, Mudheads and Koshare clowns also tell stories and they are so humorous to me. So I began experimenting with different styles of storytellers using my creative imagination to construct them,” says Tony.

Found in Hopi and other Pueblo cultures, these clowns (Koshare) use humor and social commentary to maintain harmony and community values. 

Seen in most Hopi ceremonies, the Mudhead storytellers play the role of entertainment and laughter at the Hopi dances. They drum, dance, play games and may act as announcers for events. They often give prizes or rewards for the races and guessing games they organize. The term “mudhead” comes from their masks which surround their heads and have mud applied to them. 

Paula Estevan

Paula Estevan was born in 1967, and she has been creating pottery art since approximately 1986. She is regarded for her light and thin-walled Acoma Pueblo Pottery.

Paula recognized with numerous awards, especially for the intricate and interesting painted designs on her pottery. Paula Estevan’s pottery is hand-coiled to near-perfect shape, and painted with beautiful designs of remarkable complexity. Her pieces can dazzle the eye and boggle the mind!

Erick Fender

 Erik Fender (Than Tsideh or Sunbird, born 1970) of the San Ildenfonso Pueblo, was influenced in the ancient art of pottery from his iconic great aunt Maria Martinez, his mother Martha Appleleaf, and his grandmother, legendary potter Carmelita Dunlap, who was Martinez’ last officially known apprentice. At age 10, he started creating pottery with his mother and grandmother, watching her as she would hand coil and hand paint her traditional black-on-black pottery. 

 All of his work is made by hand with clay gathered from San Ildefonso Pueblo and constructed using the traditional coil method. Fender specializes in traditional and contemporary blackware pottery. At the age of 17 he won an award in a Congressional Art competition. Over the years he has won numerous awards at the Eight Northern Pueblos Arts and Crafts Show and the Santa Fe Indian Market.

Felicia Fragua

Born in in 1964 in Jemez, Felicia Fragua began making pottery in the late 1970s. She was blessed with three instructors: Bonnie Fragua, Rose Fragua and Grace Fragua (her mother). Her favorite designs are mudheads, dogs and mice. Felicia chooses to work with traditional clay, coiling it by hand.

Fragua is known for her Storyteller designs, Nativity designs, Kewa pottery vessels and Animal Storyteller designs. In the early 1980s a collection of her Storyteller pottery was on display at the Smithsonian Institute. Queen Elizabeth II and Former President of the United States Bill Clinton each own a piece of Felicia Fragua’s Storyteller pottery. 

Carol G. Lucero Gachupin

Carol G. Lucero Gachupin (b. 1958) is a well-known Jemez Pueblo potter who learned the art from her mother, Margaret Lucero, and acclaimed pottery artist Marie Romero.

Carol uses traditional pottery methods passed down through generations, first making her own natural clay and pigments, then molding and painting her figures by hand, and finally firing outdoors. 

Inspired by memories of her grandfather telling stories around the fire and dinner table, Carol specializes in storyteller figures, and is known for the incredible level of detail and sophisticated painting in her figurines.

Tina Garcia

Tina Garcia (1957-2005) was a Santa Clara potter known for her black and also plain red polished vessels. She learned by watching her mother, Lydia Tafoya Garcia; her grandmother, Severa Tafoya; and her aunt, Angela Baca. Tina’s work was elegantly polished, not often carved, or decorated, with the exception of the bear claw design that she used frequently.

She started potting herself at the age of 11 and showed much early talent which was encouraged by her mother. Some of Tina's earlier pots were signed Tina Garcia-Trujillo or Tina G. Trujillo. After her divorce, she went back to signing her pots, Tina Garcia.  Tina gathered her own clay, hand coiled, and fired her pots in an outdoor fire. Tina won many major awards during her lifespan.

Virgie Garcia 

Virgie Garcia,  born(1947) is an Acoma Pueblo Potter, she learned her pottery method from her grandma, Lolita Garcia. A publication in “Southern Pueblo Pottery: 2000 Artist Biographies” by Gregory Shaaf mentions Virgie in 2002 as well as “Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery” by Rick Dillingham back in 1991.

Wilfred Garcia, Jr. 

Wilfred Garcia, Jr., was born in 1954 on the Acoma Pueblo. He was inspired to learn the art of working with clay from his mother-in-law, the late Stella Shutiva.
Wilfred has established himself as a fine contemporary pottery artisan.

Wilfred creates fine pottery in many forms, from clay he gathers and processes himself on Acoma land. Some of the types of vessels he creates include: seedpots, vases, and Mesa Verde motif vases with ladders. He signs his pottery as: WGarcia, Acoma.

Wilfred states: "Making pottery for over 12 years has given me joy and love for my art. I take my time with every piece that I construct so that each piece is special". He is related to: Jackie Histia-Shutiva (sister-in-law) and Sandra Garcia (spouse).

Rose Gonzales

Rose Cata Gonzales, (1900-1985). Rose learned how to make polished blackware pottery in the 1920’s, then she learned the newer black on black technique, using a matte black to appear on top of the polished black for designs. Oftentimes these black on black designs featured the Avanyu Serpent, holding significance as the guardian of water and streams, and feathers. 

Rose also learned the older technique of black-on-red pottery, most often associated with Tonita Martinez Roybal (1892-1945) Antonita, and her mother. In the 1930’s Rose was one of the first innovators of deep carved pottery at San Ildenfonso. 

Rose often collaborated with her son, Tse-Pé, in duotones. From the time she began potting in 1929 to her death in 1985, Rose was making pottery, winning awards and collecting accolades for her innovative work. 

Margaret and Luther Gutierrez

Margaret Gutierrez ( born 1936) and Luther Gutierrez (1911–1987) were a brother and sister duo from the Santa Clara Pueblo. They descended from several generations of potters and continue polychrome pottery making that was made famous by their parents Lela and Van Gutierrez. At age twelve, Margaret began apprenticing as a potter with her mother. Luther's father taught him where to find, and how to process the clay. Margaret and Luther began making pottery together in the 1960s.

After Luther died, Margaret continued to make pottery with Luther's daughter Pauline, before she passed away. Margaret now works with her great niece Stephanie Naranjo. 

Luther's son Paul and his wife Dorothy as well as their son Gary all make black wear mud head story tellers. 

Antoinette Honie

Antoinette Honie is a Hopi-Tewa potter. She is a multi ribbon winner at the Museum of Northern Arizona's Hopi Marketplace show. She learned to make pottery in the 1990's from her mother, Roberta Youvella Silaswhile she was growing up and she is known for her complicated design patterns. Among her siblings are Jofern Silas Puffer, Louann Silas and Venora Silas.

Antoinette specializes in creating complex compositions of parrot tail feathers, parrot beaks, prayer feathers, scrolls, kiva steps and rain clouds. She also really enjoys making wedding vases. 

Pottery Artists

• Last Name I - P
• Last Name Q - Z